Blog 3 Formality

[bethany marcelle]

Unlike in English there is a definite formality to Kannada. There are two forms of verbs. One denotes respect and the other is for peers or people who are below you in age and or social standing. For example "Nim heseru yenew?" and "Nin heseru yenew?" Both are asking "What is your name?" but the "your" is different based on respect for the person or their position. "Nim" is the respectful while "Nin" is not. In almost every sentence the noun or the verb denotes a person's level. Fore example if I met someone new, even if they were my age, I would use "Nim" if I really wanted to be respectful, but I could use "Nin" after that because it would be awkward if I was that formal with people my age. But with an adult or someone in authority I would always use "Nim" no matter how well I knew them.